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Please let us see more of Kevin.

I thought you knew I don't do sex scenes... :unsure:  Shower scenes are a possibility, though... :rolleyes:

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Btw, I meant to comment on to this reply to my chapter 6 review:

 

 

 

The AFL teams are quite happy for their players to be working on their university degrees while still playing. I'm not sure of the details, but since Charlie is already doing his degree part-time, that would fit in well. The AFL, and the AFL Players' Association in particular, are very much aware that players have a limited life. It's rare for a player to still be playing by the time they reach 30. That means that they need to be prepared for life after the AFL and a university degree is one of the options that the AFL actively supports.

 

I think the reason I was unsure of this was that professional sports players in the US are recruited following completion of a university degree rather than high school. I don't think the actual university degree is required, but there's an expectation that playing at the university level will happen. Almost all of them do graduate, though, whether or not they've earned it. 

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  • Site Administrator

That's one of the big differences between the AFL and the NFL. We draft 18 year olds, while the NFL drafts 22 year olds. The AFL takes them young and develops them. The NFL lets the college system do that development.

 

The NFL system works because of the large population base. That system would struggle in Australia because our population is less than 10% of the USAs. Also, aussie rules football is not a true national sport. In NSW and Queensland, rugby is dominant. That's why the AFL makes concessions to the clubs in those states; to help promote the sport and try to take over from rugby as the major sport.

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  • Site Administrator

Impunity asked about the various AFL clubs in her review of chapter 9, so here's the list of AFL clubs, their nicknames, and which states they are located. The Wikipedia article on the AFL has more information, including home grounds, last premiership, how many seasons they've been in the competition, etc.

 

Adelaide (Crows), South Australia

Brisbane (Lions), Queensland

Carlton (Blues), Victoria

Collingwood (Magpies), Victoria

Essendon (Bombers), Victoria

Fremantle (Dockers), Western Australia

Geelong (Cats), Victoria

Gold Coast (Suns), Queensland

Greater Western Sydney (Giants), New South Wales

Hawthorn (Hawks), Victoria

Melbourne (Demons), Victoria

North Melbourne (Kangaroos), Victoria

Port Adelaide (Power), South Australia

Richmond (Tigers), Victoria

St. Kilda (Saints), Victoria

Sydney Swans (Swans), New South Wales

West Coast (Eagles), Western Australia

Western Bulldogs (Bulldogs), Victoria

 

As you can see, out of the 18 teams, 10 are based in Victoria (9 in Melbourne and 1 in Victoria's second biggest city, Geelong). Each of the other states have two teams (the second teams in New South Wales and Queensland are new, having only started in the AFL since 2011). The only state without any teams is Tasmania, though Hawthorn are trying to play at least one 'home' game a season there to boost support.

 

Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia are the traditional AFL-playing states. New South Wales and Queensland are traditional rugby-playing states. The AFL has therefore offered concessions to the clubs in those two states to try to encourage the sport and increase its profile.

 

Impunity asked about the various recruiters mentioned in the story. To be honest, most of them will be appearing and disappearing. The only reason they get a name is because it's awkward to write a scene when a player is talking to a recruiter if the recruiter isn't given a name :P

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I added the draft order information at the end because otherwise some keen-eyed reader was going to call me out on it. I'm trying to stick to the timeline and events of the actual 2014 draft, and that means in an earlier chapter I had Carlton with draft pick 6, but because of the bonus pick awarded to Melbourne, that became pick 7 and that will be referenced in future chapters (not really a spoiler, I hope :P).

I'll make a post in the forums about the AFL teams and the various characters, but I'm not going to list all the recruiters. Some of them appear for a chapter or two and disappear again. The significant recruiters in the story are Isaac (Hawthorn), and Brendan (North Melbourne).

Hmmm, I may have just spoiled myself. There is a link to the draft order in the article you posted. A lot happens between now and October 26! :o (No need to apologize, if you were planning to. It was my own fault for looking.) :rolleyes:

 

Thanks for putting together the information about the clubs. It is very helpful. Honestly, I don't really need to know about the recruiters, other than I keep forgetting who Brendan is. :*) I did go back (a long way) to look at whether he has figured out about the brat; I don't think he has. :)

 

So, by my (probably faulty) recollection, the teams that know about him are Carlton, Hawthorn, and the Western Bulldogs. :huh:

Edited by impunity
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  • Site Administrator

You are correct, at least as far as the story has shown so far. Of course, it's always possible that another club has worked it out and is also keeping quiet, but that would be a mean thing for the author to do -- to have another club work it out without any foreshadowing whatsoever. :ph34r:

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You are correct, at least as far as the story has shown so far. Of course, it's always possible that another club has worked it out and is also keeping quiet, but that would be a mean thing for the author to do -- to have another club work it out without any foreshadowing whatsoever. :ph34r:

Well, you haven't demonstrated a mean streak so far. :P

Edited by impunity
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  • 2 weeks later...

Great chapter, Graeme. Plenty of preparation for upcoming events and we'll be waiting anxiously for the next Saturdays, both in the story and here. Am I correct in thinking that Todd's party is on the first-coming Saturday and the award's night on the subsequent Saturday in the story?

 

Oh and I think I may have to rethink the way I write my reviews, because your answers to my last three have been:

 

Thanks for the wonderful review. I won't comment on too much because I don't want to give spoilers
Thanks, Tim! I won't say too much here because a lot of your comments will be covered by future chapters,
Thanks for the great review but I can't comment on parts of it...sorry

 

;)

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  • Site Administrator

Great chapter, Graeme. Plenty of preparation for upcoming events and we'll be waiting anxiously for the next Saturdays, both in the story and here. Am I correct in thinking that Todd's party is on the first-coming Saturday and the award's night on the subsequent Saturday in the story?

Yes, you're correct. The upcoming Saturday is Todd's going-away party as he moves in with Lorraine. The following Saturday is the Leopards awards night.

 

Oh and I think I may have to rethink the way I write my reviews, because your answers to my last three have been:

Thanks for the wonderful review. I won't comment on too much because I don't want to give spoilers

Thanks, Tim! I won't say too much here because a lot of your comments will be covered by future chapters,

Thanks for the great review but I can't comment on parts of it...sorry

 

;)

 

Umm...sorry about the review comments. I can't help it if you keep trying to read my mind... :ph34r:

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Hey Graeme

I'm reading Leopards Leap from the beginning and I noticed Sam telling Jim they would come down for the combine weekend as support for Deon. But in fact they didn't and nothing was mentioned about the change of plans. Was this something which slipped your mind ? Or did they mean something else by AFL draft camp?

 

From chapter 1

“Well, have a safe flight home, Sam. Are you planning any more trips down this year?”

“One more in two weeks’ time when Deon’s at the AFL draft camp. We don’t know how it’ll go, but we wanted to be there for him as moral support if nothing else. We’re also going to try to make it to the Leopards’ award night mid-October, but that will depend on our finances.”

 

Edited by Timothy M.
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  • Site Administrator

Er...umm...it slipped my mind? If you want an in-story justification, they decided to come down for the awards night, but since it was clear from that passage that they could be only confident of doing one, they chose the awards night rather than the combine.

 

Sorry :*) I obviously have too many things going on at the same time in the story...

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Er...umm...it slipped my mind? If you want an in-story justification, they decided to come down for the awards night, but since it was clear from that passage that they could be only confident of doing one, they chose the awards night rather than the combine.

 

Sorry :*) I obviously have too many things going on at the same time in the story...

 

No need to apologize, I'm impressed at all the things you do keep consistent. I didn't notice the first time I came across it, but only when reading ch. 1 again. But at least now you have a chance to add a sentence to a later chapter to explain the change of plans.

 

Oh and of course the award night is more important. I look forward to that too.

Edited by Timothy M.
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Site Administrator

As chapter 11 about to post, I'd like to announce that from now on, I will be posting the chapters weekly. Chapter 12 will be posted about this time next week.

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As chapter 11 about to post, I'd like to announce that from now on, I will be posting the chapters weekly. Chapter 12 will be posted about this time next week.

 

 

My weekly fix is officially in.

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As chapter 11 about to post, I'd like to announce that from now on, I will be posting the chapters weekly. Chapter 12 will be posted about this time next week.

 

Fantastic news! :D Thanks so much. :hug:

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From Tim's chapter 11 review:  

Of course we're all hoping that the tall forward Jason has his eye on may be Ross. Perhaps he caught people's eyes by partnering with Deon? On the other hand I think Ross could benefit a lot from a year or two with the Leopards, so I actually don't want him to be AFL drafted.  :unsure: (and I know you can't comment on this part, so no need to say so  :rofl: )

 

 

Hmmm, when I first read Peter and Lee's conversation about the mysterious forward, I assumed it was Ty. I knew Julie was cross-training Ty as a midfielder, but I got confused and thought he was also a forward. When I checked back (oh, Dramatis Personae, how do I love thee?), I learned he was actually a defender. So I take back what I said about the mysterious forward in my review. That is not a thing to love. :no:  Peter was definitely talking about Ty when he was hesitating, but I have no idea who Lee was talking about. I don't think it's Ross, though. There would be no reason to keep Ross a secret as all the teams know about him. It's probably a trade. 

 

Once I started reading the Dramatis Personae, I started comparing the players' heights, since people keep saying how short Deon is. I was surprised to learn that he's actually really tall. I guess he's just not as tall as other forwards (such as Roger or Ross). He's taller than Ty.  Even Charlie, whom I picture in my head as quite small, is tall (at least by normal people standards).   :rolleyes: 

Edited by impunity
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  • Site Administrator

Ty has played in pretty much all positions during the season. While he was originally a defender (as listed in the Dramatis Personae) they cross-trained him as a forward and he played that role in several games.

 

While Deon is tall, he's short for a tall forward position. There are short forwards, but they play a different role to the one that Deon and Roger play. A tall forward is one who is targeted by his teammates to mark the ball near the goal (remember, a successful mark means getting an unopposed kick, so if they're close to the goal, there's a good chance of scoring six points). They use their height to grab the football before the defenders. As a consequence, forwards and defenders both tend to be quite tall (quite a few of them have played basketball in their past). Deon is not as tall as most, but he's strong enough to hold off a defender and still mark the ball.

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There are short forwards, but they play a different role to the one that Deon and Roger play. A tall forward is one who is targeted by his teammates to mark the ball near the goal (remember, a successful mark means getting an unopposed kick, so if they're close to the goal, there's a good chance of scoring six points). They use their height to grab the football before the defenders. As a consequence, forwards and defenders both tend to be quite tall (quite a few of them have played basketball in their past). Deon is not as tall as most, but he's strong enough to hold off a defender and still mark the ball.

Ha! You have mistakenly assumed that I know what any of these positions do. :rolleyes: Everything I know about this sport, I've gleaned from your stories (and I'm not good at picking up the technical details). I know that forwards kick goals, but not much else. I just had to look up what it means to mark the ball. :*)

 

What do the short forwards do?

Edited by impunity
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  • Site Administrator

Short forwards are also sometimes call crumbing forwards. Their job is to use their speed to pick up the loose ball (ie. the crumbs). They tend to kick most of their goals on the run, though they can also use their speed to break free of the defender to allow an easy mark from a teammate who sends them a short low kick, rather than a long, high kick generally sent to the tall forwards.

 

In the Leopards, the main tall forwards are Roger and Deon, while Ollie is a short forward.

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  • Site Administrator

At the start of Leopard Skin Cover, Ollie was a midfielder. However, during the course of the story, they shifted him to a small forward position and moved Charlie to the midfield. That was after they had problems with one of the teams they played against because of that team's forwards was too fast for the defenders and they had trouble shutting him down. That suggested to them that a fast small forward was something they could use, and Ollie was the one nominated.

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